Typically, Amazon is known as a site for buying pretty much anything and having it delivered to your door. Well now they’ve gone a step further by cutting out the need for a decent postal service and beaming movies directly into your home with Amazon Prime Instant Video. The service allows you to watch unlimited movies and TV shows, anywhere and at any time. This works by allowing you to stream videos onto your TV, computer or other device.

The range of movies available is considerable indeed, and even if you can’t find what you’ve looking for as part of the Amazon Prime Instant Video package, you ought to be able to rent or purchase it on the core Amazon movie downloads site. So, if there’s a movie you just can’t wait to see at home, Amazon has you pretty much covered. You’ll be able to watch recently added movies including some that have only recently been released on DVD and Blu-ray, many of which are in high definition. This gives a much clearer picture and sound quality and is a good choice for real movie fans.

Let’s talk a little about the various packages available from Amazon, because it might be handy to pick and mix your viewing options. If you have a particular film in mind and you aren’t interested in watching heaps of movies throughout the year then you may wish to simply rent a movie. This is easy to achieve and just requires that you pay a one-off fee. You’ll then be able to store the movie in your library for up to one month. Once you begin watching the film you’ll usually have up to 48 hours to finish it (or rewatch it if you like!) Alternatively if you really love a movie you can buy it. The film is then yours to download and you can watch it over and over and over if your heart desires.

The real value comes if you decide to take out the reasonably priced year-long subscription to Amazon Prime Instant Video.

If you’re still not ready to let go of the physical-age (holding a disc in your hand rather than downloading or streaming) then you can also sign up to LOVEFiLM by post, whereby you order the Blu-rays or DVDs you’d like to watch and they’re sent to you in the mail. You can then return those discs, free of charge, when you’ve finished watching them. This is a useful service for anyone who travels a lot but doesn’t have a good internet connection, or if you fancy taking your movies to a friend’s house and don’t want to overuse their internet connection.

All of these are decent and legitimate options for various reasons but we think that the real value comes if you decide to take out the reasonably priced year-long subscription to Amazon Prime Instant Video. You’ll be able to access a large number of high quality films and shows whenever you like, plus you will have free one-day delivery on your Amazon orders throughout the contract. This can save money and time, and really is a useful membership bonus to have. It also costs around the same as two standard rentals, so in terms of value it’s really pulling its weight.

So, are there any down sides to these services? Well no one service will do everything and if you’re someone who wants the very latest movies in HD but also wants a wider selection of other films and shows then you’ll need to combine packages and options. But you won’t find such a complete option anywhere else, either.

Whilst the unlimited viewing options offer excellent value for money the purchase and rental prices are fairly standard, so often you won’t really save much by using Amazon as opposed to one of several other sites. However there are a number of sales and promotions that run throughout the year which ought to be taken advantage of.

Amazon offers amyriad of choices and top quality viewing for any movie or TV fan. Whilst its rental and purchase prices are around industry standard, its Instant Video packages will provide you with enough excuses never to clean the house or wash the car again, without putting much pressure on your wallet.

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